THE CHALLENGE: To grow crops on Mars!
Yep. All we want you to do is grow crops on Mars. This could include anything from original concepts for a growing facility to the plants themselves. Teams can create software, data or design solutions that are literally out of this world.
CONSIDERATIONS
- The hack must be able to support life for at least 12 months.
- The hack must produce / support a comparable yield to that on earth.
- The hack must utilise current known technologies (sorry no anti-gravity devices or teleportation solutions).
Teams can have a minimum of three (3) people and a maximum of five (5). You must have at least one team member with a science background.
Hackathon projects will be judged on:
- Originality: Have you gone where no one else has gone before?
- Sustainability: Resource efficiency – energy, water, nutrients.
- Scalability: Can you feed your team and then your neighborhood?
- Reproducibility: Could your solution be implemented here on Earth?
The final product for presentation must be visual: Powerpoint, conceptual model, or demonstration. We can’t wait to see your creation! Final presentations are to be 3 minutes, with 2 minutes for questions from the judges.
THE RULES
Yep… like most things in life we also have a few rules for #CropsOnMars.
Code of conduct – The biggest and most important rule of all is that we are all about being open and having a fun and friendly environment. Everyone is welcome to this hackathon and we will take seriously anything that makes others feel unwelcome – including harassment and offensive or hostile behaviour.
We ask everyone to respect the opinions and abilities of others. There will be different skill levels and approaches in the room (which will make for a greater outcome) and any disagreements need to be handled respectfully.
Intellectual property rights – If you did it, it’s yours… but we may ask you if you want to share 😉
Protection of intellectual property – If you didn’t do it, it’s NOT yours.. When you submit your entry make sure it’s your own work. We will be keen to talk about achievements through social channels so want to make sure that nothing has been copyrighted or belongs to someone else.
Organizers have the right to determine whether an entrant is eligible for #CropsOnMars. We may disqualify entries that violate third party rights or laws or use inappropriate or explicit language or images.
Keep it clean – We all know the pitfalls of viruses so please ensure that what you submit does not contain Trojan horses, worms, viruses or any harmful code.